Tuesday, September 21, 2010

If you’re like me, you’ve been sneezing nonstop the past few days. I thought I had a cold until I looked at the calendar and realized what was really happening with my nose—it was an attack of the histamines. Howdy seasonal allergies, you’re right on schedule! And that means it’s time for chipotle chicken tacos.

I’ve had bad allergies all my life. When I lived in Houston it was the spring that made my nose explode and eyes water for two weeks. My mom would provide me with those little purse-packs of tissues, but that was never enough and you’d soon find me walking around with a roll of toilet paper that I’d grabbed from the school bathroom. I concede that wasn’t very ladylike but at least the toilet paper was softer than the lunchroom paper napkins.

When I lived in Austin, I got slammed in the winter with the dreaded cedar fever. It affected me so badly that one day my boss thought I had the flu and told me to go home. “But it’s just allergies from cedar pollen. I’m not actually contagious,” I said, but she insisted I leave, which was a very kind thing to do.

I thought when I moved to New York that I would finally escape the plight of allergies and for a few years I did. But a few years ago one fall morning I woke up almost unable to breathe and it’s been an annual curse of autumn allergies ever since.
Now, if I told you that I’d found a cure for seasonal allergies, would you believe me? Of course not! You can only suppress the symptoms until whatever it is that’s making you sneeze goes away. But two things always help me feel better when I’m in this state—chicken and chiles—and so I made a batch of shredded chipotle chicken tacos to help fight the histamines and make the allergy invaders go away.

Why does this work for me? Well, there’s plenty of chicken, which has been proven to help reduce congestion. And there’s enough fire from the chipotles to help clear your head. An added bonus is that I use a whole chicken so there’s plenty of leftover broth to sip until your allergies have finally gone away.

I certainly can’t make any guarantees that chipotle chicken tacos will help you stop sneezing, but they certainly can’t hurt and as well, they simply taste good, too. And hey, if you’re fortunate enough to not have allergies, don’t feel excluded—these tacos can be enjoyed by anyone! But if you are suffering from allergies right now, I hope that you feel better soon.

Instructions:
Place the chicken in a large pot along with the garlic, onion, celery, cilantro, bay leaf, pepper and salt. Cover with water (about a gallon), bring the pot to a boil and then simmer 1 hour. Remove the chicken from the pot and when cool enough to handle, remove the skin and shred either with your hands or two forks.

Meanwhile, strain the cooled broth, throwing out the vegetables. Remove the fat from the broth with a gravy separator. Or you can take a quart-sized plastic storage bag and pour some broth into it. Snip a bottom corner of the bag and drain the broth, stopping when you get to the fat layer that is on top. (You will probably have to do this in batches).

Place 1/2 cup of the chicken broth into a blender, reserving the rest for another use. Add to the blender the tomatoes, chipotle chiles, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, allspice, cilantro and lime juice. Blend until smooth. In a medium-sized pot, heat up the oil on medium low heat. Pour the chipotle salsa into the pot and cook while occasionally stirring for 15 minutes. It should be a bit darker in color and a bit thicker. Add salt and black pepper to taste and adjust seasonings. With the heat still on, add the shredded chicken to the pot and stir until the chicken is well coated and has been re-heated, about 5-10 minutes.

61 comments:

I'm sneezing my head off her ein Boston too! I am totally trying out your medicine tonight. I often go for heat to unclog the sinuses, but I have never heard that chicken helps too - must be why we always reach for chicken soup when under the weather!

I never had any allergies until I was in my 30s, and then for the past many years I have had spring fever. For the past maybe, 5 years, I get a milder version in the fall. I always have a problem when I visit Texas, (north of San Antonio) with cedar allergies for either Thanksgiving or Christmas. Since I love tacos, this seems like a good way to treat it!

This looks simply amazing! I bet the chicken would be great over rice, too.

And count me as another one suffering from allergies, all year 'round. Apparently ragweed is the worst in the fall all over the country, and that's one of the most common allergies! I'm allergic to live oak and pecan, too (plus some other pollens and molds)... growing up in Mid-West TX was no picnic. I ought to buy stock in Zyrtec.

My oldest son has loves sharing all his germs from school. I'd thought that this year we'd escaped it but alas I too am inflicted with an awful stuffed up nose and the sneezes. This recipe looks so amazing, I've been craving taco's for a few weeks now I might have to finally make them ASAP! Maybe a little spice will loosen the face ick some :p

Man this looks good and will definitely have to happen sometime soon.The worst allergies I ever had was living in New Mexico, where there is a plant there that is called chamisa that smells like feet. Moving away did help for me but I always have that fear that they might develop somewhere else as well.Oh! And I made your sopapilla recipe yesterday and they were great! (I do miss that part of living in New Mexico!)

ah--ah--ah--feel your pain! ah-ah-ah think I'll try your cure---choo! I had cedar fever every January when I lived in Buda, outside of Austin. Now I just have hayfever from all the pollen in North Carolina

Cedar fever was the worst when we lived at New Braunfels years ago. I would have a headache for DAYS! Now it's mold that gets me in Arkanasas. The peppers actually do help they say, anyway this recipe will make me forget all about my allergies. I love the little soft tortillas cradling the meat...do I sound like a native Texan?!!

That sounds wonderful! I always go with chipotle chicken soup to clear my allergy ridden head, but maybe this year I'll try your tacos. So you're writing a cookbook right? When do we get to see it? You're going to tell your loyal readers so we can buy it for our families for holidays, yes? (Texas Independence Day counts as a holiday if you need until then.)

My allergies are worst in Spring, but like my mother before me, I'm one of those people who always has a wad of tissues stuffed into every pocket all year long. Actually, I have started collecting vintage hankies to keep in my pockets instead, because I got tired of kleenex bits stuck to everything in my dryer after once again missing a stray tissue in a pocket.

To help ease the symptoms, and possibly help you not have such severe attacks, use the herb Stinging Nettles along with lots of Vit. C and Quercitin. You can get all of these at your local health food store or on line. I like Vitacost for online herbs and vitamin shopping. They have great prices. If you begin taking these a few weeks before allergy season begins, your immune system is strong enough to lessen or even prevent an attack. Also, lots of probiotics help. A weakened immune system makes us more vulnerable to allergies. You might also want to try homeopathy. It really works. I hope you feel better soon!

Your recipes always look so amazing, and this one does not disappoint! Living in San Diego, I can definitely appreciate all the Mexi recipes you have. And since right now I am under the weather, this looks just as inviting as if I had allergy empathies. I just might have to add it to the menu this week! Thanks!!!

My husband suffers from severe allergies and we have found that my Green Chilie Soup has helped out the best1-2 lbs pork cubed and browned1 32oz pkg frozen mild green chilies (found in walmart freezer section or home grown roasted and peeled)4 cloves of garlic sliced1 can whole tomatoes crushedabout 8 cups of chicken broth

I brown the pork then add the broth for about 30 min. then add the green chilies and garlic and simmer for an hour. Last add the crushed whole tomatoes and about 1/2 cup of milk. Don't forget to season the pork. I usually just do salt/pepper and maybe oregano and garlic powder.

it certainly opens your sinuses and warms you up if you are achy. thanks for the chipotle recipe.

I so love the chipotle and wasabi rememdy, but another great cure is the homeopathic drops at Whole Foods. Here in Dallas they carry "Texas Weed Mix," drops that really do help calm the allergies! Seriously it works, even when everything else fails - we use it every year. I bet they have a local rememdy at your WF in Manhattan. Try it! Good luck!

This looks YUM! I always head to my local Thai, where I used to work as a teenager, for Chicken Hot and Sour Soup - it saves me every time. Even if I feel a cold coming on, I start drinking water with lemon juice in it and head straight there for lunch - it never develops into a full blown thing!

I can't wait to try this recipe.My husband developed terrible allergies when we lived in San Antonio. When we moved to New York, they got even worse...spring and fall allergies! Thank goodness for summer. I've only recently started cooking with chipotles. I look forward to trying another dish, and if it helps his allergies, even better.

I went the opposite direction. Thought we were all suffering allergies and finally came to the conclusion that we've been passing a cold around the family. Joy. Mine has turned into an awful hacking bronchitis-y chough. Annoying.

This chipotle chicken sounds wonderful. Would be a nice stuffing with some cheese for some poblano chiles.

Girlfriend, this blog is el mejor!I just sent it to my DIL who is a transplanted Texican living in Philadelphia. Your recipes (and travel)have the ring of authenticity, don'cha know? Tried your red sauce for cheese enchiladas.....bien, bien!Keep on writing about this stuff.

This took me a while to make but OMG SO WORTH the time and effort! I added an extra Chipotle pepper and WOW my lips are on fire! So good I ate it plain on a skillet-warmed corn tortilla. Going to try it with a little sour cream next go-round. I have a ton left to share or freeze, and I also have a whole freezer full of beautiful chicken stock for Fall soups! My dog especially loves it when I do a whole chicken....he got plenty of samples today! Great recipe....keep 'em coming!

I LOVE your page! my roommate asked me last nite if i ever made anything that didnt have jalapenos in it. I said sometimes i use serranos. I am carrying appx 7 extra pounds my boyfriend calls my enchalada lbs. Im living in new orleans (moved from Katy-little town west of houston) and cant tell you how many TERRIBLE enchalada meals ive had here till i found your receipe-Growing up in houston I never realized the rest of the country doesnt have a donut/kolache place on every corner. will be trying your receipe soon. One other thing we dont have in new orleans (at least to my knowledge) is good german sausage. man i sure do miss it-am getting a sausage grinder and gonna do my own. Keep up the good work

Made these tonight - DELICIOUS. I didn't have a whole chicken, so I threw in a ton of raw chicken tenders and a beef rib bone. The broth is KILLER! Also, bone broth is an excellent, healthy soup because bones simmered for long period of time contain and release an easily digestible form of magnesium, potassium, calcium, zinc and other minerals. Zinc, magnesium and calcium are vital for a functional immune system. It's some of the best stuff you can eat when you're sick (like you mentioned!) These tacos are great, especially with a little broth spooned over the taco! Yum!

Im here in Del Rio TX and these sound goooooood! I have a tip though for shredding the meat: Place the warm chunks of meat in your stand mixer (It's best to have the kind that lock down in place.). Attach the paddle attachment and turn on slow and move toward medium slowly. This should shred all of your chicken in about 45 seconds! It's a huge lifesaver when you are a busy mom!

I just made this a couple hours ago for the family. Tasty and with a 4lb chicken enough for 6 or 7. I recommend cooking the sauce on the stovetop a little longer (maybe another 10 minutes) until it thickens quite a bit. My chicken had a sauce that was a little too thin and I would have like to intensify the flavor even more.

This is delicious and versatile. Made it a couple times before trying paleo, and with very few and easy tweaks it's perfect as paleo, even. Extra heaping of the salsa simmered in another cup of bone broth; chugged that yesterday to kick out a cold/fever/ugh-osity; to success.

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